Ellington at Newport

Proof once again that live albums aren't great. If it wasn't for the sheer, unbelievable talent of the musicians, I'd have no interest in this whatsoever. I don't enjoy the audience noise. I don't enjoy the compere. I sure as toffee don't enjoy live albums generally. Sure, these musicians are insanely good. Would they be better in the studio, with a great producer? Absolutely yes.

I mean, shit, I don't think I've ever heard a solo on the level of the solo in "Dimineuendo And Crescendo In Blue". The energy here is unmatched, and you can tell the crowd was feeling it. Insane performance. Favorite tracks: "Dimineuendo And Crescendo In Blue", "Festival Junction"

OMG this was long... I think I could've watched the whole movie Whiplash in this time (which I would've preferred)

This album is a great reminder that jazz was a living, breathing genre of music. It was born in an age when live music was king, long before a musical album was a concept. It’s music for improvising, music for dancing, and music for living in the moment. This is also one of those albums where the context greatly enhances the music: the fact that this revitalized his flagging career, and the amazing marathon saxophone solo

Exceptional. They certainly don't make music like this anymore. And I will overlook that some of the "live music" was recreated in the studio (including fake applause). Paul Gonsalves’ epic solo during Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue simply has to be heard to be believed.

The music was great, but I could do without all the emcee banter.

Insert Johnny Hodges’ solo on I Got It Bad directly into my veins

By the time of the Duke's Newport appearance in 1956, big bands were in the process of being, or already were, passé. The pre-World War II relic of jazz sophistication gave way to shorter groups, with trios and quartets, quintets and maybe even sextets becoming de rigueur and Duke had next to no room to occupy space. Newport '56 was a reminder of who he was, why he commanded the respect justly given to him and how he remained integral to the status that jazz had obtained in the decades past and present. If he and his band were percieved as though they were on the downward slope, they don't sound like it, as they are as vibrant and radiant as they were in their heyday, with Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue, Take the "A" Train and Skin Deep riding the ship on towards land and into cheering arms. A magnificent document of a triumphant comeback, may we love him madly.

Really nice Jazz album by a master. Born in 1899 he was active on the music scene for much of the early American Swing and Jazz era. There are not many music lovers that have never heard of Duke Ellington. Not something I'd listen to often, but it is great! 4/5

This album is phenomenal. I don’t know much about jazz but I like this.

I wrote an imaginary doctoral thesis on music production technology's influence on popular culture and this album was at the center of it. It's hard to translate the energy transmission that occurs at a great musical performance but a technical accident necessitated overdubbing a sax solo that had originally riled the audience to new heights and to drown out the sound of the original sax solo, the producer cranked up the audience track, making an excited audience sounds downright riotous. The show helped revive Duke's career among the cognoscenti at the show, but the album with the frenzied audience elevated his standing in the broader culture to new heights. I don't like big band music too much, but when I do it's either Duke Ellington or Count Basie, and this album gives you a little of both, in that I understand that Papa Joe Jones (drummer for Basie's best band but look him up; possibly the most influential drummer ever) was on the edge of the stage, beating time with a rolled up newspaper and I understand was one of the voices shouting encouragement and celebration. That's damn cool. For more information, I refer you to this delightful article I cited in my dissertation: https://www.csmonitor.com/1985/0923/upres.html

See!!! i can like jazz!!!

Wow. I’ve listened to this several times. Despite my previous review, and maybe my lack of culture, a lot of the jazz sounded quite similar, but even this you could feel the technical skill that went into it. It’s a live album and the crowd love it. My favourite is Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue. The saxophonist plays a 27 chorus solo and the vibe through your makes your hair stand on end. I’ve always appreciated jazz but would never consider myself wise or knowledgeable. I couldn’t name any jazz tracks to even recommend someone however this album is a fantastic introduction and I’m glad I have heard it

laitappa päiväkirjaan vähän muistelmaa nyt tähän kohtaan: tänään oli TYÖ_ PÄIVÄ!! saatana.. päivä ennen suurjunailua taas kerran. kolmen viikon lomille... paitsi ei ole loma... pitää saatana vempuilla niin sanotulla vapaa-ajallakin.. sipilä OTTAA JA OTTAA JA OTTAA.. eikä anna perkele takaisin mitään!! btw ovela albumi. varsin juonikas. metkut päällä mennään herttuan kanssa ilmeisesti. tänään oli ihan kiva kuunnella älämölöä, turhaa pälätystä ja lätinää vanhanajan livesoittoa konsanaan. oikein mielekästä pikkuhyppyjä tehdään istuimella pikkuhyppyjä ylösalas.. annetaan kuomalle propseja tästä... props props props ja shillinki kainaloon.. siitä saat päivän eväät. blues to be there

One of the most essential live Jazz recordings of all time. Astounding musicianship.

I listened to the complete 2 hour edition, was a lovely Sunday morning soundtrack

Wow. So good from start to finish

Domó el duque

Outstanding.

This is just beautiful. Big band jazz at its finest. Such amazing players! Unless you just need riffage or you don't have a soul -- you'll enjoy this.

Un album excellent dans l'ensemble qui, si l'on omet la qualité de l'enregistrement, est un délice pour les oreilles. Mention spéciale pour : "Black and Tan Fantasy" qui sort vraiment du lot.

All the horns, piano, bass, drums had amazing sounds. I don't typically relate to jazz but this had big dance energy and reminded me of New Orleans (although it isn't from that region). Surprised how much I enjoyed this.

Some of the sounds those instruments made! Was a pleasure to listen to. Wish I was there screaming as well.

Make those instruments sing DUKE

He’s the best for a reason. This album totally holds up. Production is still on point.

Ellington and his crew killed it.

Wow. What an experience! I wasn't familiar with the Duke, but this album really showcased why he was such a legend. His group has such raw, potent energy. It's amazing to hear the crowd go wild. 'Black and Tan Fantasy' was my fave here.

Bardzo dobre, ale za dużo gadania

Real quality jazz. Miles Davis didn't get a 5 becuase I heard this before I rated the Davis album. The live aspect was also fun. I like the calming if the riot song. Audiences used to go hard!

9/10

Swanky!

There are so many versions of this album, some (including the original 50s release)are mostly studio recorded. After listening to that I found a complete cd release with the studio and live recordings separated. I liked it so much I will probably listen to it all.

It was exceptional! What a show and Music!

I'm not the biggest jazz fan, but this is good. It does sound a little bit like the background to a cartoon from the 50s though. Blues to Be There sounds like George Gershwin. Before the rise of pop music, every thing sounded like a score to a movie. This is a good listen. The longer this goes the more I like it. This is a great album. I only listened to the original release version but I will definitely check out the 2 hour complete recording now.

Very exciting

OK, so, to begin with — so we're clear — I only listened to the songs that were included on the original 1956 LP, in the order they were presented in. It's not that I didn't have time or want to hear the complete concert. Much like The Who and LIVE AT LEEDS, I wanted to hear the album as it was originally released (as much as I could, anyway),so... Here we are. And for my second "to begin with," let it be known that all of the material here is amazing. This band is just superb and tight as hell. Hearing these concert recordings specifically instead of the studio versions makes it all the better; knowing that they were doing this stuff live in one go in front of a crowd. I mean, hey, that's part of the magic of live albums, innit? And in terms of jazz live albums, goodness, this big band stuff is so much more my shit to listen to than that "Sunday at the Village Vanguard" album by some trio I can't remember the name of. Seriously, them horns and that drummer. It'd make me wanna watch WHIPLASH again if that movie wasn't so much... A **lot**, y'know? But that's off-point; simply put, none of the material here is worth missing. Now, of course, I say all that because... Goodness, "Diminuendo And Crescendo In Blue". I can't imagine anything else being the climax of the album. It's— wow, what a showstopper. Especially knowing that the solo Gonsalves played was apparently so exciting that the entire audience couldn't help but get up and cause a big ruckus dancing to it. That, and that one Gonsalves finished his solo he **collapsed**. On its own, without this extra context, it still would've been an awe-inspiring solo. With that extra info, though... Yeah, goodness, I can hear why this performance is so legendary, even without hearing all of it. Needless to say, I'm a big 5 on this album. Goodness me. I really gotta return and hear this thing in full sooner than later, I swear. A masterwork, pure and simple.

It’s a 5. I don’t need to use any more than 2 paragraphs to explain why. It’s a live jazz album, what did you think it was gonna get? The only way it could’ve been any lower than a 4 would be if someone had just been yelling into a microphone the whole time. I’m not super deep into music theory to tell someone why these are good, or to explain the deep complexities in the performance. I have an ear, and that’s about all I need, I think. My ear is telling me this was really fucking good. This is my first time listening to anything by Duke Ellington. I now want to listen to even more of Duke Ellington – I know the name, I know his place in history, and I know his deep, deep importance to this specific era of big band jazz. There’s a reason Stevie Wonder made Sir Duke. He lived up to the hype and more – this is a spectacular 44 minutes; there's neither a wasted note nor a moment where the energy dies down. Mix that with a red-hot crowd hanging onto every single flourish & some stellar compositions, and you end up at an easy 5.

I don't really understand jazz (how does the song translate to the title-idk) but I like the way it makes my brain feel. I skipped all the intro talking parts, a downside to live albums. But I found the musical skill to be impressive. I would give it 4.5 but rounded it up instead

This is exactly what I think of when I hear Big Band Jazz. This concert had to be WILD. Reading up in the Wiki page, I had already known that Duke supported his band through some time but I had no idea this was the point it really turned around again getting them back on a record contract. And that sax solo in Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue....Holy shit, Gonsalves played his heart out to collapse. This had to be an epic experience and we are so lucky it was captured here.

Sheer perfection.

Just in awe of Duke's skill and the whole band. Love the whoops and hollers from the band as Duke plays that are caught on this live recording. You can feel how much fun Duke, the band, and the audience are having during this show. And the fuckin talent! Goddamn, Duke is a legend.

Love this to work or chill to

One of the reasons I'm doing this project is to be introduced to all the great albums of jazz. It's not my go-to genre, but when it hits, it hits. I really enjoyed this. I learned a lot reading some of the most liked reviews on here, for instance, Diminuendo In Blue features the infamous 27 chorus saxophone solo by Paul Gonsalves. And also the fact that parts of this were recreated in the studio. I know there are mixed reactions to this, but to me, they created a final project that really showcases the energy and joy felt by the performers and audience both. However they got there is fine by me. I listened to and am rating the original ~44 minutes, but I want to listen to the complete version sometime as well.

Love this album. Ellington really knew how to make use of his musicians' incredible talents. Diminuendo in Blue is just thrilling.

Duke Ellington's piano playing provides an incredible foundation for these insanely talented musicians to solo over. The rhythm section is killing it and everyone sounds so tight. Fantastic album. Man, it would be so fun to be a part of a big band like this. I played in jazz band in high school and this music is just a blast to play.

Only the second album out 200+ to come along and blow me away. I’ve wanted to find a classic jazz album that I chimed with for years … I was not expecting a live Duke Ellington recording to be the one. In parts it like trad jazz you hear in war films. But that is just luring you in. Every so often it just explodes and the crowd go with it and everybody. Loses. Their. SHIT! Like you can tell this is the 50s equivalent of a club absolutely going off. It’s an incredible journey of a listen and I’m very glad to have found it.

Canonical brilliance. Start here, abandon all hope of ongoing financial liquidity.

Fabulous

Duke Ellington is one of most accomplished composers and bandleaders in jazz, who had an incredible career. Ellington at Newport was a "live" album - or, at least partially live. Ellington and his band played at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1956, and it was a historic performance. The show, and the very successful album, revitalized Ellington's career. Time has revealed that some of the tracks were re-recorded after the show, but that doesn't undermine this incredible recording. Ellington composed pieces to allow the talented members of his band to shine - structures designed to create space for soloists. The soloists in his band were all of the very highest caliber, and all of the members of the very large group are capable of incredible work. On a potentially negative note, this record contains a late-concert drum solo, and this may be the first such recording, so it is potentially responsible, at least in part...

What an incredibly tight band, especially the brass section. They seem impossibly locked in and syncopated. Masterful treatment of pianissimo dynamics gives a sense of deliberation to each aspect of the arrangements and choice of soloists. A sense of ‘it wouldn’t be there if the Duke didn’t want it to be there.’ An Absurd level of understanding and execution of jazz piano.

Such a fantastic album and it rekindled Duke Ellington’s career into the 1950’s. Legend.

Nyt on perusteita livelevyn sisällyttämiselle. Yleisö villiintyy, käsittämätön soolo ja ylipäätään upeeta keikkajazzia! 5/5 menee vakiokiertoon (toki ehkä ilman välihuutoja)

Maravilla

beautiful sound and love the different moods. Only in jazz does one find the statement, as I did in wikipedia, something to the tune of "Gonsalves solo saved Ellington's career." Also like the nod to the platinum blonde who got up dancing and instigated everyone off their feet. And it is an amazing amazing solo. Nice to see Ray Nance's name again--I think my parents had an album of his that I may or may not have stolen.

The greatest live album of all time that was actually released in 1999. Here's the skinny: Ellington and his band played Newport and recorded the whole thing live. After bringing the tape back to the studio, however, it was realized that the recordings did not sound very good with mixing issues that could not be resolved. As a result, Ellington and his band went into the studio to rerecord a few of the songs, which was mixed with some live recordings and dubbed audience applause. On release in 1956, Ellington at Newport was more studio album than live album, but it didn't matter because the album was a rousing success. Years later, with music production technology being so much better, the actual live recordings were mixed to perfection. Best part was that it's now the '90s and we have CDs, so Ellington at Newport was re-released with "bonus tracks" as the actual, honest-to-god live performance on two CDs. Two hours may seem like a lot but you're getting the best live performances ever tracked to tape. If you listen to it for anything, you listen for Paul Gonsalves' sax solos and Sam Woodyard's chops on drums. Duke really knew how to pick 'em. The finest musicians of the day coming together to bring the house down at one of the most prestigious jazz festivals. One thing you'll miss on the original release compared to the re-release is the real audience reactions at the time, as Duke's band had sent people into a frenzy. Tracks like "Pandemonium" and "Riot Prevention" illustrate the way his music affected people, which is a testament to both Duke and music itself. Diminuendo and Crescendo In Blue are what really kick this performance into high gear, as it constantly builds steam and allows people to get invested as the song grows. This song alone feels like a masterclass in truly incredible songwriting and composition. It is no wonder why people loved Duke Ellington and his Band so much after this performance. And thank god for that too. Big Band was kind of old hat by the '50s, with the likes of cool jazz, hard bop, and even latin jazz becoming more prominent. Not only that, but it was expensive to maintain big band groups with the number of musicians that were needed. The guys gotta get paid. It was this performance at Newport Jazz Festival (and this album) that would help to revive Duke Ellington's career and allowed him to continue making albums that are universally praised. This was his ticket, and by god Duke was going to ride that train until the very last stop. You can stop at track 9 of the second CD if you want. The rest of the album from there is the original studio'd version from 1956. The real meat is in the actual live recordings. I actually prefer that we leave on a high note with Sam Woodyard's insatiable drum soloing on Skin Deep, something that will always impress me. And just like that, 90 minutes have flown by. I don't think a live album has excited me so much as this one. I feel as though history comes alive and shows how phenomenal music can be. It's never better than this.

Genious

Mr Duke Ellington ist a Master of Jazz. Und dieses Album macht rundum Spaß. Tolle Live Aufnahme. Handgemachte Musik ist so wertvoll, schön, dass es für alle konserviert wurde. Auch für Jazz für Anfänger geeignet.

This album was a really cool experience, and it's history really earned it the rating. I love the energy that these guys inspire from the crowd, especially during that insane sax solo on Diminuendo in Blue (the best song on the album). I really felt like I was transported back to this Jazz club. Very impressive album that I'll check back on for years to come. 5/5.

Makes me wish I was there. Amazing musicians!

If you don’t dig jazz, then this is either a great into for you or an annoyance. If you do dig jazz, it doesn’t get much better than this. It swings, it’s got that big band feel, it even bops at times. I can’t imagine the audience at his show sat still; I’m not a dancer and I would probably be up and bouncing. My goodness what a treat and a treasure this is.

No one's doing it like the Duke. I had such a fun time with this, it's a lot more playful than Coltrane or Miles Davis. While I like cool jazz and bebop a lot, it's also fun to just listen to some classic big band stuff and just wince and smile at the atmosphere and just crazy musicianship. The squeaky trumpet blew me away on this - just so so so good. Best Track: Festival Junction Worst Track: Diminuendo In Blue

Truly impeccable, dudless

Such a mammoth album. Lively and energetic jazz, pretty good background music and very impressive to listen to. Not necessarily life-changing for me but I recognise the talent and skill. 4.5

This!

So smooth!

As a tap dancer, I am required by law to do the Shim Sham whenever I hear Take the A Train.

Duke Ellington HAD to be on this list and here he is! I knew a couple of the songs but finally have listened to one of Duke’s albums in its entirety. Terrific!

Wonderful live album. Loved the shorter original version, and the longer play added some fun live elements to it as well. So many great sax solos.

Rowdy fucking crowd geez louise

cracking jazz, my piano version of A Train is nothing like this !

Looks like a long, but iconic album. I'm hearing trumpets do something I've never heard before (black and tan fantasy). The music is outstanding but the live-ness and talking in this adds no value unfortunately. After Cash's prison album nothing holds a candle to that kind of live album. 4.5 rounded up to 5* because the spoken interludes can be so cringy at times. Like, people started to riot? IDK, maybe I don't go to cool enough concerts. The musical artistry is impeccable.

Exceptional. They certainly don't make music like this anymore.

Excellent jazz, might be my favorite Duke album so far

Love some good Ellington when I'm in the mood. Sometimes I'm not, but today I was. This is not something I'd put on in the background while I work or need to focus, but something to study and appreciate the musicianship of. I'd also listen to this when I'm doing something that I can be distracted from, because some of these solos are insane.

Classic, beautiful, masterful.

This was an absolute delight. I think my days would be a lot better if everyone of them started off spinning an excellent jazz record while quietly drinking my morning espresso. Can't recommend enough. 5 stars. I will also try to give the expanded/full version of this a listen at some point as well, but this is great as it is.

This was another amazing live album. I've loved every one that I've heard so far, and I should definitely be listening to more. It is a privilege to be listening to legendary shows being performed so many years ago. As with the Cash shows we heard earlier, they keep a lot of the crowd interaction and in-between moments in, grounding the performance . I am reminded that everyone on these recordings were people just like me living regular human moments. Would people 80 years from now feel the same way listening to a show that I go to and don't think much of? Maybe I should be appreciative of the shows I do get to go to! As for the record itself, it slapped. It was very long so I was in and out in my attention but I liked everything I heard. 9/10

The swinging genius, with a great version of his band - a wonderful, joyful album.

Mi artista/compositor de Jazz favorito de todos los tiempos, un fucking maestro.

Un fkn dios papa 5 estrella, 10/10

haha i represent america

The king of all, Sir Duke.

😎⭐😊⭐😀

Good working music, reminded me of Nan

The energy and talent on this album is insane. The reminders throughout, that it is a live recording only reinforces the level excellence.

This band certainly kicked ass . Just what youre looking for in a live performance :Big sound, lots of energy, virtuoso performances. It is the the pinnacle of the Big Band genre.

Joyous, catchy and just an all-round good time. It's a super long album but it works as either active listening or as something for the background. Knowing that it revived Ellington's career makes the triumph even greater, and is a rare example of a strong live album (despite some controversy regarding how live it actually is) and is perfect for a sunny day 06/06/24

Damn, that is some red hot jazz! I love that the crowd recognized how good it was, even for a festival.

Wow, I loved this album. Super performances. The crowd's energy in Diminuendo.. was awesome.

It's Duke.

Sales were down... rent wasn't getting paid... critics were saying he was a decade into his flop era... Duke Ellington and his Orchestra came on that stage at Newport and did what had to be done. I can't give this anything less than 5 stars. Beautiful and so so fun. Stevie was right, you really can feel it all over!! Note: Normally I try to just listen to the track listing from the original recording, but I'm glad I decided to go with the later remastering/reissue that was twice as long! And then to see that it was produced by Phil Schaap (RIP) :') Always good to see a friend on here :')

Yum, real significant music for once. No lame Britpop, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, or Nick Cave to be seen. Just glorious big band jazz that the likes of the world had never seen.

Absolutely wonderful.. I’m not a huge jazz fan but this was pretty amazing and you can feel the camaraderie of the musicians with how they play off of each other’s vibe

Wow!!

Another treat.

WOW.This live recording held my attention until the very end. Never a dull moment, from the amazing musicians and the cheering crowd Sir Duke himself puts on a legendary performance. Never been much for jazz but this might change that!

goat of jazz

Raw energy and a polished sound, the Duke is king

I really enjoyed this more than I thought I would. It reminded me of music my grandpa would listen to in the car and, at the time, I didn’t appreciate it but now I think about what it must have been like to listen to it in a cool club when he was younger. There were moments I was cleaning and it gave me a little upbeat soundtrack without being my typical pop/hip hop/R&B or rock. Other times it was slow and created a cool vibe to chill to and I could imagine slow dancing to it with my husband at the same time. Glad this was early in the rotation!

I see a live jazz album from the 50s, I rate 5 stars.